Palate Cleanser
by sweeety
Summary: A short oneshot in an AU where Maya came back to Rosewood after she ran away, withOUT her stalker. What would happen between Paige and Emily after they decide to just be friends in the season 2 finale?


A palate cleanser is something that is taken between courses in a meal, in order to refresh the palate, so one can thoroughly enjoy each course. In the dating world, a palate cleanser, or rebound, is usually a short spanning relationship that a person gets into between significant relationships.

Paige McCullers felt like a palate cleanser to her teammate Emily Fields. She was the mint between Maya and Maya again. She wasn't even an appetizer in the dating sense. No, that was Alison. Even Alison held a more significant role in the girl's heart. Even though Alison wouldn't even piss on her if she was on fire.

Paige sighed as she turned the page of her book. She wondered if she'd ever have another chance with the girl sitting across from her this study period. "Just Friends" they agreed on being, and Emily smiled as Paige's world caved in.

Maybe Emily and Maya will break up again. Maybe she'll come running to Paige for another taste before she runs off with another woman. Maybe they'll be old or maybe young. But the truth is, it wouldn't matter. Paige knows she'd still give that chance to her, just on the off chance that it stuck. On the off chance that she wasn't just some flimsy rebound to her for once.

Paige would lie in her bed at night, when she couldn't sleep, and dream of coming home to Emily. The classic white picket fence fantasy. 2.5 kids and a dog or two. On weekends they'd sleep in and at night they'd fall asleep together. They'd walk around hand in hand and sleep in each other's arms and why couldn't she be in that fantasy right now?

Emily must've noticed her discontent because she looked up from her book inquisitively.

"Sad book" Paige mumbled, hoping her blush didn't show.

Emily nodded and gave her a half smile as she mouthed "Hang in there" before getting back to her reading.

Paige stole another look at the girl. She looked like a dream in that yellow sweater. Like she fell out of a sixties rom com. She was the Sandy to her Danny Zucko. She thought about dressing up like a greaser so she could match her for a second. The thought brought a smile to her face. A faint one. Emily looked up and caught it just as Paige diverted her attention to the suddenly interesting signs on the wall.

Emily was just about to ask about that smile when she felt a vibration in her pocket. She delicately slipped a hand in her pocket and pulled her phone out, opening her new message and smiling down at it.

"Hey Paige, I'm gonna go. Maya's snuck out of science and we're gonna play hooky."

"Okay."

"I think I left my bookmark at home... do you have a spare?" she asked, patting her pockets for emphasis.

"Just take mine, I was about to finish anyway."

"Are you sure?" Emily frowned.  
"Definitely." Paige insisted.

"Thanks."

Paige handed Emily the small wooden bookmark she'd been using in her book. She blushed as Emily's forefinger brushed against hers. She blushed and looked away with a silly grin. Emily smiled down at Paige as she slipped the bookmark in her book, and slid the book into her bag. "See ya" she whispered as she slipped her bag on, before bending until she was level with Paige's face, and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Paige's face tingled as she watched Emily disappear behind the library doors. Being Emily's friend had at least one perk. She bit her lip as she timed Emily's steps. If she counted right, she'd be able to see her walk out of the school. She pretended to look at her watch. "Oh dear, is that the time?" she mumbled as she put on a show of packing her things away. She felt heat rising in her cheeks as she tried to avoid eye contact with everybody on her way up.

There was a window in the back side of the library that overlooked the back quadrangle. She made a show of stretching when she reached the window, and pretending to read the spine of the book she was to return. She squinted at the characters printed on the spine and read them out loud to herself, quietly as she pretended to size up the book stacks. Really though, she was stealing glances out the window at the quad. Any second now, she would see Emily making her way down that quad.

Sure enough it wasn't too long before she spotted Emily. She lifted her book to hide the smile that suddenly sprawled across her face. However it was a short lived one, because just as soon as Emily walked out of the hallway connecting the two school buildings, Maya emerged from the other side carrying her bag. They met up in the middle and walked off towards the parking lot arm in arm.

It wasn't long ago that Emily had met _her_ at that quardrangle. They talked about going to that concert together. She smiled so bright when she heard she scored them tickets. She tried to play that memory back. She froze on Emily's smile. She knew what came next. Disappointment. She'd mention Troy Sattler and the smile would be gone.

Paige returned her library book and headed out. Down past the lavatories and around the English classes, she headed out the same doors Emily used to get out. The sun was brightly shining and she still had loads of time before her next class. She found the bench they sat on that day and reclined on it. How much different would things have been right now if that conversation had taken a different turn?

"Troy Sattler would have to pay for his own tickets" she'd say. Emily would look at her, confused.

"He's not coming with us. He just really wanted to go and he asked if my dad could hook him up." she'd continue.

"So we would be..."

"Together, on a proper date. Just you, me and the music. We could grab dinner on the way, and we've got permission to crash at my Aunt's cabin after the show, if it ends too late."

"Wow, Paige, I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll come?"

"Definitely!"

A smile filled her face. They'd have such a lovely time at that show, and later maybe even cuddle. Paige imagined lying down next to Emily after the show. They'd both be riding an adrenaline high from what they'd witnessed. They'd be too hyperactive to sleep. They'd turn towards each other and whisper-talk all night long, gushing about how amazing the band was and how awesome it would be to see them again sometime, making inside jokes about scalpers and security at the venue and the ridiculous line to the restrooms.

Paige wished she could sleep next to Emily, even if it's only once. Just to know what it's like to have Emily's face be the last thing she sees before she falls asleep, and the first thing she encounters upon waking. To brush tussled black strands of hair away from her face and feel the sensation of her lips on hers before she's realized they're even kissing.

'But what use is missing her and thinking about kissing her?' she thought as she folded her arms. 'It's not like the feeling's mutual' she sighed as she got up off the bench and started walking back to the library. She hoped she could be quiet enough to sneak back in without anybody noticing her walking off... not that anyone would ask any questions.

-Meanwhile by the parking lot-

"Come on Em, it's just a few hours! We'll be back at home time! Your mom will never even know you've been gone."

"They're gonna call our parents, you know that!"

"So?"

"_So_ my parents already think of you as a bad influence on me. It's hard enough to talk my mom into letting me go out with you OUTSIDE of school hours."

"Your mom's a bitch, Em."

"Don't talk about my mom that way!"

"I'm sorry but she is! If she wasn't poking her nose in my business I never would've gotten sent to that shitty camp!"

"When will you stop blaming my mom for that?"

"When she starts loosening up around me. She's acting like she's scared of catching the 'gay' off me."

"She's _acting_ like she doesn't trust you because you've been nothing but rude to her ever since you got back. And you know what? You can't find what's not there. Stop blaming my mom for your stint in rehab. You would have never gotten in any trouble if you weren't doing drugs in the first place."

"Oh please, she was just dying to find something that she could use against me. She's always had it in for me, Em!"

"Enough, Maya! My mom doesn't have a vendetta against you, stop with this persecution complex! I know you don't get along with my mom but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you slander her."

"But babe, she hates me!"

"She wouldn't hate someone for no reason so if you think she has something against you, dig deep and figure out why."

"Are you saying it's _MY_ fault?"

"I'm saying it takes two to tango. She wouldn't start out hating you unprompted. You must have done something to piss her off."

"Yeah, I 'turned' her daughter."

"You're giving yourself way too much credit there."

"Okay, can we just skip this fighting and go straight to the make-up sex? Please, just come to mine while my parents are still out, and I promise I'll make it up to you" Maya winked at Emily who was still ensconced.

"Go make it up to yourself Maya. I'm going back to school. I haven't entirely missed free period."

"Allright go. We both know why you're really staying."

"This again? I told you the thing I had with Paige is over!"

"Yeah? Well you'd rather sit in a musty library with her than come hook up with me, so what am I supposed to think of, Emily?"

"You know what? You're right. I'd rather hang out with her. Because she knows when enough is enough and she doesn't try to push me into doing things I've already said 'no' to about a hundred times. God, you're so pushy."

"You know what? Fine! Go fuck your stupid jock friend. I'm through trying with you Emily. I'll go find someone who's interested in me more than they care about their stupid finals or their swimming records."

"No one's gonna change their whole life to suit your whims, when are you gonna get that through your thick head, Maya?" Emily cried out.

"Whatever." Maya mumbled as she walked away, throwing a peace sign over her shoulder.

Emily brusquely stalked back to the library where she found Paige. Paige could tell Emily was upset but she didn't want to force her to talk when she wasn't ready so she tried to distract her with a fact she read in her "Rippley's: Believe it or not". It worked well enough. Emily cracked half a smile and soon they settled back into their relaxed and casual reading routine. The only difference was that whenever Paige looked up at Emily, she caught Emily staring back.

"So how come you came back so soon -if you don't mind me asking-" She wondered out loud around the fifth time she caught Emily staring.

"I came to bring that bookmark back. I've suddenly been put off reading that book."

Paige nodded. She understood there was more to that sentence but she didn't want to be presumptuous. She wanted to ask about Maya but feared it was out of bounds so she kept her mouth shut and just nodded and gave Emily a half smile, hopefully communicating that 'hang in there' spirit she hoped would help support her.

"Maya and I are through." Emily sighed. "She's just so frustrating, Paige! She keeps thinking my mom is out to get her and all this other unwarranted stuff and she's so freaking stubborn and nothing can convince her otherwise, even though she's wrong and she keeps thinking there's something going on with you and me-" At this point, Paige looked down and blushed. " and making all these wild accusations and I'm just done with all that. I don't know what she's been smoking but I'm not gonna be there when she sobers up. She's just gonna pull the same crap anyway the next time she takes something. She thinks I don't know? I'm not an idiot, she positively stinks of that stuff. Ugh. I'm just so sick of it all!" Emily finished her rant, punctuating it with another sigh.

Before Paige could even react, the librarian was kicking them out for being too loud. Emily grunted as she packed the stuff she'd barely unpacked, and started shuffling angrilly out the door. Paige followed without missing a beat as Emily led them away from the library, back to that fated bench where Paige once felt she ruined her chances.

They sat down side by side. Emily with her head in her hands and Paige offering a comforting hand on her back. She knew she had to say something but didn't know quite what. She didn't want to let on that she was actually kind of happy that they weren't together anymore, nor that she was hoping this would happen eventually. It felt like rubbing it in when that's not what Emily needed at the moment. So she decided to just settle for being a supportive ear she can vent to instead.

"And you know what the worst part is?" Emily asked looking up at Paige with tear-filled eyes.

Paige shook her head.

"She was right. I do prefer being with you. And all this time I've been trying to pretend that I'm happy with her, but I'm not. The whole time we were arguing, all I could think about was coming back to you."

"Em, you're just saying that because you had a falling out with Maya. If you got back with me you'd realize I'm just a replacement... I'm just a palate cleanser between girls for you."

"You were _never_ just a replacement Paige. I didn't use you as a rebound. I genuinely liked you and wanted to be with you, but the timing was bad, and I didn't really end things with Maya and felt unsettled by that. Honestly, I felt you deserved much better so I thought you would be fine if I cut you loose. I didn't realize you thought about us that way. You must think so little of me." She summarized, looking down dejectedly.

"No. It's fine. I just thought that's why you jumped at the opportunity to replace me..."

"I never replaced you Paige. You're irreplaceable. I just knew we weren't the right fit at the time and I didn't want to lead you on. I had a lot of stuff going on in my life as well and I couldn't be the girlfriend I wanted to be to you. I'm so sorry I ever made you think that you didn't matter to me like that."  
"And I'm sorry I ever thought you'd be so petty."

"Do you... do you think we could give this another try?"

"Maybe someday. You just got out of a relationship with Maya, Em. Are you sure you're really ready?"

"I may be rushing a little. You're right. But I just realized what a mistake I made walking away from you and I don't want to miss out like that again."

"You wont. Look, I've waited this long for you, I can wait a little longer."  
"Promise?"  
"Promise."

The End.


End file.
